Did a sham search at A&M lead to Murano ouster?

In an extensive interview, Texas A&M System Chancellor Mike McKinney told the online publication Inside Higher Ed that the ousting of Texas A&M University President Elsa Murano stemmed from a sham search for a vice president for research at the flagship campus in College Station.

According to the story, Murano had promised McKinney and the board of regents that she would hire Brett Giroir, a “Pentagon official who made a favorable impression on her, McKinney and the regents during a 2007 Aggie football game,” the story said.

But Murano later changed her mind, and decided to appoint a search committee to make it appear that the fix was not in for a certain candidate, the story said.

“She told me ‘I feel like I need to appoint a search committee for the VPR’s office, but I’m still going to get Brett,’ ” McKinney told Inside Higher Ed. “I went ‘Elsa, this is me and I stand up and swear on the Bible, that’s not a search, that’s manipulation.’ I think the only thing worse than not being inclusive is to act like you are and you’re not.”

Nervous after his and regents’ repeated assurances to Giroir that he would get the job, McKinney created a vice chancellor for research position tailored to Giroir’s qualifications.

Good thing for Giroir, because the search committee — and Murano — ended up recommending someone else for the job.

Doug Slack, a professor of wildlife and fisheries sciences, told Inside Higher Ed that the public display of McKinney’s and the regents’ influence may scare off candidates for the presidential job.

“I believe that the candidates…will undoubtedly expect a certain level of autonomy in the hiring and firing of major appointees,” Slack said. “One of the concerns that’s come out of travails at Texas A&M is how much autonomy the president of A&M has.”

Though Inside Higher Ed’s reporting did not find Gov. Rick Perry’s hand in Murano’s ouster, the story did pose questions about a $50 million grant that Perry’s office awarded to Texas A&M for a pharmaceutical manufacturing center.

Apparently, Giroir holds five patents with Xoma, one of the companies partnering with the research center. Another company, Introgen, was started by Perry contributors. Both appeared to be struggling financially, which prompted Murano to raise questions about the relationship.

Giroir said any money generated from his patents would be given to the university.